Does Kiko predict more Web 2.0 failures?

August 17, 2006 By

I was reading Don Dodge, former executive from Alta Vista. He’s seen his share of failure so I always learn something from him. Anyway, he links to an interesting analysis of why Kiko (a Web-based calendar) failed.

Heck, I’m nearly being forced to use Google Calendar and I really really really hate it (sorry, I’m an Outlook addict). If Google can’t get me excited about its calendar there’s no way that I’ll use a calendar from a company I’ve never heard of, don’t trust. Sorry. That’s the entrepreneur’s challenge. Google can win me over just by sheer momentum. Translation: my boss will say “you vil use Google and you vil like it.”

Actually I’m making Google sound worse than it is, but I need a calendar that synchs with my SmartPhone, that lets me work offline, etc.

A friend who works at Google says that they aren’t even using Google calendar internally right now. I hear that Google’s employees hate the Oracle-based solution they are currently using, but that Google Calendar needs more work to be usable for an enterprise.

I can tell you that is true. I’m using two calendars. One in Outlook, one in Google. Why? Cause the rest of the company is on Google.

Anyway, back to the headline. Does it predict more failures?

Yes.

There are simply too many companies chasing too few users.

I can not keep up with the flow in my email box. I’ll share some of that with you real soon.

Getting the cool kids to try your technology isn’t the same thing as having a long-term business proposition.

It’s my challenge too. If I don’t get an audience and keep it I’ll be laying myself off someday after our VC money runs out (that’s what I did last time the bubble burst).

Onward.

Note: some of these things will win. That’s why we all play the game. Google survived the last bubble&burst. Who’ll do that next time? Not Kiko.

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  • http://designedtoinspire.com/drupal/ J Maddrell

    Just stumbled on a blog using web based calendar Trubma: http://www.trumba.com

    Appears to sync with Outlook. Haven’t tried it, but it looks promising on the surface. Per the site:

    About Trumba Corporation

    Trumba was founded by CEO Jeremy Jaech, VP of Product Development Ted Johnson, and Chief Software Architect Peter Mullen in late 2003. Previously, this team co-founded Visio (acquired by Microsoft in 2000) and were key developers of Aldus PageMaker (where Jaech was one of the original founders); Aldus was acquired by Adobe in 1997. Another founding member of the management team is Clyde McQueen, previously from Aldus and most recently with Amazon.com, who is managing the software development group.

  • http://www.freebookzone.com/ James

    I rather gofor outlook, since my pda is bundled with microsoft activesync. i dont have to rely on any of the webapps. But still i had thought of ms coming up with a ajax based webcalendar.. Fingers Crossed

  • http://www.freebookzone.com/ James

    I rather gofor outlook, since my pda is bundled with microsoft activesync. i dont have to rely on any of the webapps. But still i had thought of ms coming up with a ajax based webcalendar.. Fingers Crossed

  • http://www.freebookzone.com James

    I rather gofor outlook, since my pda is bundled with microsoft activesync. i dont have to rely on any of the webapps. But still i had thought of ms coming up with a ajax based webcalendar.. Fingers Crossed

  • http://engtech.wordpress.com/ engtech

    I finally figured the secret to getting all my calendars to synchronize using Outlook, and open source software (Funambol).

    I wrote up a guide on how to do it.

  • http://engtech.wordpress.com/ engtech

    I finally figured the secret to getting all my calendars to synchronize using Outlook, and open source software (Funambol).

    I wrote up a guide on how to do it.

  • http://engtech.wordpress.com/ engtech

    I finally figured the secret to getting all my calendars to synchronize using Outlook, and open source software (Funambol).

    I wrote up a guide on how to do it.

  • James Brown

    For those interested in syncing Google Calendar with Outlook, I use http://sourceforge.net/projects/remotecalendars/ which seems to work pretty seamlessly.

  • James Brown

    For those interested in syncing Google Calendar with Outlook, I use http://sourceforge.net/projects/remotecalendars/ which seems to work pretty seamlessly.

  • James Brown

    For those interested in syncing Google Calendar with Outlook, I use http://sourceforge.net/projects/remotecalendars/ which seems to work pretty seamlessly.

  • http://bizcast.typepad.com/ Alan Wilensky

    Robert, Maybe you should to talk to David Biesel, the VC who hosted Kiko at the Boston Web innovators conference back when..I was there, and I dissagree with the opinion that they did not have a business model; indeed they had many good ideas, but probably not enough liquidity to endure.

    I might track them down and do a vlog entry on the story behinf the story.

  • http://bizcast.typepad.com/ Alan Wilensky

    Robert, Maybe you should to talk to David Biesel, the VC who hosted Kiko at the Boston Web innovators conference back when..I was there, and I dissagree with the opinion that they did not have a business model; indeed they had many good ideas, but probably not enough liquidity to endure.

    I might track them down and do a vlog entry on the story behinf the story.

  • http://bizcast.typepad.com Alan Wilensky

    Robert, Maybe you should to talk to David Biesel, the VC who hosted Kiko at the Boston Web innovators conference back when..I was there, and I dissagree with the opinion that they did not have a business model; indeed they had many good ideas, but probably not enough liquidity to endure.

    I might track them down and do a vlog entry on the story behinf the story.

  • http://poddev.comitar.com/ Chris

    It’s a shame, Kiko was one of the better online calendar apps available. Unfortunately GCal took it down because of the gmail integration… Kiko could have been great if they had a business model.

  • http://poddev.comitar.com/ Chris

    It’s a shame, Kiko was one of the better online calendar apps available. Unfortunately GCal took it down because of the gmail integration… Kiko could have been great if they had a business model.

  • http://poddev.comitar.com/ Chris

    It’s a shame, Kiko was one of the better online calendar apps available. Unfortunately GCal took it down because of the gmail integration… Kiko could have been great if they had a business model.

  • http://rbazinet.wordpress.com/ Rob Bazinet

    Alan,

    Your right, it’s just my opinion about their business model. The fact remains, they failed, which should indicate a lack of something, a realistic business model maybe.

    I don’t know, I just don’t see how anyone could possibly make money with a calendar when you have Google giving it away. I can’t see a value-add where someone would pay for it.

    It will be interesting to see if anyone picks it up off of eBay. It seems like a strange place to dump something if it had any real value.

  • http://rbazinet.wordpress.com/ Rob Bazinet

    Alan,

    Your right, it’s just my opinion about their business model. The fact remains, they failed, which should indicate a lack of something, a realistic business model maybe.

    I don’t know, I just don’t see how anyone could possibly make money with a calendar when you have Google giving it away. I can’t see a value-add where someone would pay for it.

    It will be interesting to see if anyone picks it up off of eBay. It seems like a strange place to dump something if it had any real value.

  • http://rbazinet.wordpress.com/ Rob Bazinet

    Alan,

    Your right, it’s just my opinion about their business model. The fact remains, they failed, which should indicate a lack of something, a realistic business model maybe.

    I don’t know, I just don’t see how anyone could possibly make money with a calendar when you have Google giving it away. I can’t see a value-add where someone would pay for it.

    It will be interesting to see if anyone picks it up off of eBay. It seems like a strange place to dump something if it had any real value.

  • http://www.KIPL.Net/ Mehul Patel

    Hi Robert, thanks again but seems none of the Don Dodge URL’s are working??!

    -
    Regards,
    Mehul Patel
    MD & CEO
    KIPL.Net – Digital Services
    URL: http://www.KIPL.Net

    http://www.mozomo.com – Coming soon to a WAP Browser near you :)

    ‘e–magination is more important then knowledge’

  • http://www.KIPL.Net/ Mehul Patel

    Hi Robert, thanks again but seems none of the Don Dodge URL’s are working??!

    -
    Regards,
    Mehul Patel
    MD & CEO
    KIPL.Net – Digital Services
    URL: http://www.KIPL.Net

    http://www.mozomo.com – Coming soon to a WAP Browser near you :)

    ‘e–magination is more important then knowledge’

  • http://www.KIPL.Net Mehul Patel

    Hi Robert, thanks again but seems none of the Don Dodge URL’s are working??!

    -
    Regards,
    Mehul Patel
    MD & CEO
    KIPL.Net – Digital Services
    URL: http://www.KIPL.Net

    http://www.mozomo.com – Coming soon to a WAP Browser near you :)

    ‘e–magination is more important then knowledge’

  • http://www.gbarnett.org/ Granville Barnett

    Like you Robert if the calendar won’t sync with my windows mobile device then i really can’t see myself using it unless it was amazingly cool and even then I’d have doubts.

  • http://www.gbarnett.org/ Granville Barnett

    Like you Robert if the calendar won’t sync with my windows mobile device then i really can’t see myself using it unless it was amazingly cool and even then I’d have doubts.

  • http://www.gbarnett.org Granville Barnett

    Like you Robert if the calendar won’t sync with my windows mobile device then i really can’t see myself using it unless it was amazingly cool and even then I’d have doubts.

  • Karim

    I would predict a failure for Podtech.net based on the fact that the company got VC millions but is too cheap to use anything but free Google apps and bundled software on their laptops.

    I wouldn’t call it a predictor of death so much as, ah… an area of concern. Like coughing up blood. Something you might want to have checked out. ;-)

  • Karim

    I would predict a failure for Podtech.net based on the fact that the company got VC millions but is too cheap to use anything but free Google apps and bundled software on their laptops.

    I wouldn’t call it a predictor of death so much as, ah… an area of concern. Like coughing up blood. Something you might want to have checked out. ;-)

  • Karim

    I would predict a failure for Podtech.net based on the fact that the company got VC millions but is too cheap to use anything but free Google apps and bundled software on their laptops.

    I wouldn’t call it a predictor of death so much as, ah… an area of concern. Like coughing up blood. Something you might want to have checked out. ;-)

  • http://joeduck.wordpress.com/ joeduck

    An excellent, and ominous, post. It’s easy to forget all the failures and point to the handful of success stories. Ironically many successes (most?) came from nowhere to be the next big thing. Myspace and Google come to mind.

  • http://joeduck.wordpress.com/ joeduck

    An excellent, and ominous, post. It’s easy to forget all the failures and point to the handful of success stories. Ironically many successes (most?) came from nowhere to be the next big thing. Myspace and Google come to mind.

  • http://joeduck.wordpress.com/ joeduck

    An excellent, and ominous, post. It’s easy to forget all the failures and point to the handful of success stories. Ironically many successes (most?) came from nowhere to be the next big thing. Myspace and Google come to mind.

  • Pingback: Joe Duck » If Scoble is worried, your 2.0 should worry too.

  • http://www.piedcow.com/blog Mike L

    You’ll love Google Calendar w/your Mac :D

    Because they both support standards and can communicate unlike Outlook whose engineers must have recieved orders from the top to remain non-standardized.

    Here’s an example of cool ways you can share your events. Click on it from your Mac. webcal://feeds.technorati.com/events/http://epeus.blogspot.com

  • http://www.piedcow.com/blog Mike L

    You’ll love Google Calendar w/your Mac :D

    Because they both support standards and can communicate unlike Outlook whose engineers must have recieved orders from the top to remain non-standardized.

    Here’s an example of cool ways you can share your events. Click on it from your Mac. webcal://feeds.technorati.com/events/http://epeus.blogspot.com

  • http://www.piedcow.com/blog Mike L

    You’ll love Google Calendar w/your Mac :D

    Because they both support standards and can communicate unlike Outlook whose engineers must have recieved orders from the top to remain non-standardized.

    Here’s an example of cool ways you can share your events. Click on it from your Mac. webcal://feeds.technorati.com/events/http://epeus.blogspot.com

  • Pingback: The Last Podcast » Some More Thoughts About the Kiko Shutdown

  • http://alpascual.com/blog/al Al Pascual

    So sad. Awesome product

  • http://alpascual.com/blog/al Al Pascual

    So sad. Awesome product

  • http://alpascual.com/blog/al Al Pascual

    So sad. Awesome product

  • Pingback: Scott Rosenberg's Wordyard » Blog Archive » Kiko's calendar auction and the old "incremental change" song

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    Mike: Outlook was developed before the Web took off. By the way, you do remember why AJAX was invented, don’t you? To do a Web-based version of Outlook.

    But, yeah, now that I’m cross-platform (most businesses only care about Windows) Google Calendar will be better for me but I still hate it.

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    Mike: Outlook was developed before the Web took off. By the way, you do remember why AJAX was invented, don’t you? To do a Web-based version of Outlook.

    But, yeah, now that I’m cross-platform (most businesses only care about Windows) Google Calendar will be better for me but I still hate it.

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    Mike: Outlook was developed before the Web took off. By the way, you do remember why AJAX was invented, don’t you? To do a Web-based version of Outlook.

    But, yeah, now that I’m cross-platform (most businesses only care about Windows) Google Calendar will be better for me but I still hate it.

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  • Christopher Coulter

    is too cheap to use anything but free Google apps and bundled software on their laptops.

    They aren’t too cheap (Final Cut Pro is not a cheap app), it’s just you need that APPEARANCE of being frugal — just read between the lines here.

  • Christopher Coulter

    is too cheap to use anything but free Google apps and bundled software on their laptops.

    They aren’t too cheap (Final Cut Pro is not a cheap app), it’s just you need that APPEARANCE of being frugal — just read between the lines here.

  • Christopher Coulter

    is too cheap to use anything but free Google apps and bundled software on their laptops.

    They aren’t too cheap (Final Cut Pro is not a cheap app), it’s just you need that APPEARANCE of being frugal — just read between the lines here.

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    Yeah, don’t tell our VCs about the crazy whiskey parties we’re gonna have over in Half Moon Bay! :-)

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    Yeah, don’t tell our VCs about the crazy whiskey parties we’re gonna have over in Half Moon Bay! :-)

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    Yeah, don’t tell our VCs about the crazy whiskey parties we’re gonna have over in Half Moon Bay! :-)

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